Sensoji Temple in Asakusa (day and night)
Hi Travelers, this is Kumi. I'm now planning to publish a Kindle book on Tokyo photo locations. In this book, a traveler/photographer, Cat, asks questions to a guide/photographer, Kumi.
C: Cat - traveler/photographer
K: Kumi - guide/photographer
* * * * * * * * *
C: What's your favorite photo of Asakusa?
K: Hmm... Maybe this one.
C: Wow! No people!?
K: Hahaha. I shot this around 11pm with long exposure. It's usually packed with tourists during the day.
C: This is a very popular spot, isn't it?
K: Yes. A lot of tourists are visiting here to enjoy the traditional atmosphere. The origin of this temple dates back to 628 A.D. when two fisherman brothers found a statue of the Goddess of Mercy in the Sumida River. If you're interested in its history, Sensoji's official page tells you a lot.
http://www.senso-ji.jp/english/
C: Oh, this seems interesting.
K: Now, let me tell you what to see here during the day. You should go up to the 8th floor of the Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center. Here is the location.
K: You can see the whole view of the temple from here!
C: Wow!
K: This is one of the typical compositions of Sensoji Temple.
C: It's lovely with cherry blossoms.
K: Also, you can shoot the Tokyo Skytree from here.
C: Nice.
K: As I mentioned earlier, you could see Mt. Fuji from the 7th floor on a clear day.
C: Right. I remember that.
K: There is a casual cafe on the 8th floor so you can have a rest. After coming down to the ground level, you can shoot the Kaminari-mon Gate across from the street.
C: This red lantern looks familiar.
K: The photos of the gate are often used on websites or guide books.
C: I see.
K: When you go through the gate, don't forget to check out the dragon underneath. In Japan, dragons have been considered to protect people from bad luck, especially from fire. And the Chinese characters are the former name of Panasonic and the founder's name, Konosuke Matsushita. He donated a fortune to rebuild this gate because his illness was cured after visiting this temple.
C: Cool! I would have missed this if you didn't tell me.
K: There are two statues on both sides, but I'll talk about them later because the night-time photos are better. Now you go through the gate and here is another good photo spot. You can capture the whole view of Nakamise Shopping Street.
C: So many people!!
K: Yeah. It's always crowded here. There are a lot of shops. Some of them sell food, some of them sell souvenirs.
C: Are there any shops you like?
K: I like Sakai KoKodo where you can buy Ukiyoe artworks and postcards.
It's E06 on this map.
http://www.asakusa-nakamise.jp/store/pop/storemap.html
K: Also, I like the chopstick shop called Morita. It's E16 on the same map.
K: And you should check out Kamera which is E27. They are making Japanese cake which is like a waffle but has red bean paste in it.
C: Do you like it?
K: Oh, I love it.
K: After going through the second gate, please look back to check out huge sandals. The giant sandals are said to scare away evil spirits and people believe that if you touch the small sandals hanging there, you'll be a good walker with strong knees.
C: That's very important for travelers.
K: True. Then, you'll see this.
C: What's he doing?
K: He's drawing a fortune-telling paper called "Omikuji." If you shake the box, a stick will come out and it shows you a number. Then, open the drawer with the same number and pick up a sheet.
C: I can't read Japanese.
K: Don't worry. There is an English translation on it.
K: If you happen to draw a bad fortune, you can tie it here so that you can leave your bad luck behind.
C: Ha! That's nice.
K: In the precinct, you'll see this, too.
C: What are they doing?
K: We believe that the incense has healing power. For example, if you have a headache, you can fan some smoke to your head.
C: Does it really work?
K: If you believe so.
C: Hahaha.
K: Now, this is a purification fountain. People purify themselves by washing hands. You can learn how to do it on this YouTube video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZRDGlQ8ksU
K: Then, finally, you're coming to this main building.
K: You're not allowed to take photos inside but you can take photos from the stairs. The view is amazing from here.
K: After the temple, you could visit the garden which is in the west of the temple. You could see Koi carps here.
K: Now, let me tell you about the night shooting.
C: Is the observation deck open at night?
K: Yes. The stairs to the 7th floor will be closed but the observation deck on the 8th floor is open until 10pm.
C: It seems you didn't use a tripod.
K: No. You're not allowed to use a tripod here. I tried to attach a mini pod to the glass but it wasn't successful.
K: You can enjoy long exposure on the ground.
C: Yay!
K: And you can take better photos of the Thunder God and the Wind God in the evening.
C: Cool! They look very strong.
K: Yeah, because they are the security guards protecting the temple.
C: Right.
K: Now, this is the second gate called Hozomon. This is one of my favorite angles.
C: Wow!
K: The sandal and the Tokyo Skytree.
C: Old and new!
K: You could try this angle too.
C: This is breathtaking!
K: And here is the main building. I showed this photo before.
C: The one you shoot around 11pm, right?
K: Yeah. And this is the purification fountain.
C: Wow! There is no one.
K: Right. On my way back, I captured the red lantern from the back.
C: I think I would go for the night view.
K: Thought you would say so.
C: Cat - traveler/photographer
K: Kumi - guide/photographer
* * * * * * * * *
C: What's your favorite photo of Asakusa?
K: Hmm... Maybe this one.
C: Wow! No people!?
K: Hahaha. I shot this around 11pm with long exposure. It's usually packed with tourists during the day.
C: This is a very popular spot, isn't it?
K: Yes. A lot of tourists are visiting here to enjoy the traditional atmosphere. The origin of this temple dates back to 628 A.D. when two fisherman brothers found a statue of the Goddess of Mercy in the Sumida River. If you're interested in its history, Sensoji's official page tells you a lot.
http://www.senso-ji.jp/english/
C: Oh, this seems interesting.
K: Now, let me tell you what to see here during the day. You should go up to the 8th floor of the Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center. Here is the location.
K: You can see the whole view of the temple from here!
C: Wow!
K: This is one of the typical compositions of Sensoji Temple.
C: It's lovely with cherry blossoms.
K: Also, you can shoot the Tokyo Skytree from here.
C: Nice.
K: As I mentioned earlier, you could see Mt. Fuji from the 7th floor on a clear day.
C: Right. I remember that.
K: There is a casual cafe on the 8th floor so you can have a rest. After coming down to the ground level, you can shoot the Kaminari-mon Gate across from the street.
C: This red lantern looks familiar.
K: The photos of the gate are often used on websites or guide books.
C: I see.
K: When you go through the gate, don't forget to check out the dragon underneath. In Japan, dragons have been considered to protect people from bad luck, especially from fire. And the Chinese characters are the former name of Panasonic and the founder's name, Konosuke Matsushita. He donated a fortune to rebuild this gate because his illness was cured after visiting this temple.
C: Cool! I would have missed this if you didn't tell me.
K: There are two statues on both sides, but I'll talk about them later because the night-time photos are better. Now you go through the gate and here is another good photo spot. You can capture the whole view of Nakamise Shopping Street.
C: So many people!!
K: Yeah. It's always crowded here. There are a lot of shops. Some of them sell food, some of them sell souvenirs.
C: Are there any shops you like?
K: I like Sakai KoKodo where you can buy Ukiyoe artworks and postcards.
It's E06 on this map.
http://www.asakusa-nakamise.jp/store/pop/storemap.html
K: Also, I like the chopstick shop called Morita. It's E16 on the same map.
K: And you should check out Kamera which is E27. They are making Japanese cake which is like a waffle but has red bean paste in it.
C: Do you like it?
K: Oh, I love it.
K: After going through the second gate, please look back to check out huge sandals. The giant sandals are said to scare away evil spirits and people believe that if you touch the small sandals hanging there, you'll be a good walker with strong knees.
C: That's very important for travelers.
K: True. Then, you'll see this.
C: What's he doing?
K: He's drawing a fortune-telling paper called "Omikuji." If you shake the box, a stick will come out and it shows you a number. Then, open the drawer with the same number and pick up a sheet.
C: I can't read Japanese.
K: Don't worry. There is an English translation on it.
K: If you happen to draw a bad fortune, you can tie it here so that you can leave your bad luck behind.
C: Ha! That's nice.
K: In the precinct, you'll see this, too.
C: What are they doing?
K: We believe that the incense has healing power. For example, if you have a headache, you can fan some smoke to your head.
C: Does it really work?
K: If you believe so.
C: Hahaha.
K: Now, this is a purification fountain. People purify themselves by washing hands. You can learn how to do it on this YouTube video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZRDGlQ8ksU
K: Then, finally, you're coming to this main building.
K: You're not allowed to take photos inside but you can take photos from the stairs. The view is amazing from here.
K: After the temple, you could visit the garden which is in the west of the temple. You could see Koi carps here.
C: Oh, I like this photo.
C: Is the observation deck open at night?
K: Yes. The stairs to the 7th floor will be closed but the observation deck on the 8th floor is open until 10pm.
C: It seems you didn't use a tripod.
K: No. You're not allowed to use a tripod here. I tried to attach a mini pod to the glass but it wasn't successful.
K: You can enjoy long exposure on the ground.
C: Yay!
K: And you can take better photos of the Thunder God and the Wind God in the evening.
C: Cool! They look very strong.
K: Yeah, because they are the security guards protecting the temple.
C: Right.
K: Now, this is the second gate called Hozomon. This is one of my favorite angles.
C: Wow!
K: The sandal and the Tokyo Skytree.
C: Old and new!
K: You could try this angle too.
C: This is breathtaking!
K: And here is the main building. I showed this photo before.
C: The one you shoot around 11pm, right?
K: Yeah. And this is the purification fountain.
C: Wow! There is no one.
K: Right. On my way back, I captured the red lantern from the back.
C: I think I would go for the night view.
K: Thought you would say so.
